With the help of local Melbourne Beach artisans and tradesmen, the couple spent the next few years returning the residence as closely as possible to Walter Brown’s 1920’s home. Port d'Hiver (Port of Winter) officially opened in 2007.

A retreat that is both comfortable and elegant, the B&B offers ten bright, spacious accommodations each uniquely decorated with a tropical Key West/British Colonial flair. The Sunrise room in the north cabana offers fabulous ocean views and a mahogany four poster bed along with a private balcony for cocktails or just relaxing with a good book. Handcrafted Peter Reed British linens made from the finest Egyptian cotton percale add to the luxurious experience.

Each year from December through March a remarkable event takes place. North Atlantic right whales migrate to the warm, calm coastal waters of the southeast Atlantic coast to give birth and nurse their calves. Then in the spring they head back north to feeding grounds in the Bay of Fundy between Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.

As the largest barrier island in the Golden Isles, St. Simons Island lies across from the immortalized Marshes of Glynn, made famous by Sidney Lanier’s poem of the same name. Punctuated by small islands known as hammocks, the pristine stretches of marshland create the appearance of a continuous stretch of land reaching out to the barrier islands. Eugenia Price, one of the South's most popular authors of antebellum romantic fiction, often spoke of the "special light" on St. Simons. Turning a beautiful golden color in the fall, the expansive marsh grasses are especially dramatic when lit by the setting sun.

It is one of America's magical roadways. A north/south route, Highway A1A sprawls out in sections along Florida's entire Atlantic coast. Cruising along A1A in Central Florida we pulled into the towns of Melbourne Beach and Indiatlantic located on the barrier island between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean. Relaxed and unhurried, the twin sister towns offer unspoiled beaches with sparkling blue-green waters and large dunes blanketed with sea oats and native wildflowers.

Tucked along the teal-colored Gulf of Mexico, Anna Maria Island sits on a tiny spindle of land at the mouth of Tampa Bay. There is no grand dame hotel, no sprawling wildlife preserve, no historic waterfront. The island is dominated by palm trees and low-slung Crayola-colored beach cottages and scores of renovated old-timey motels.

They are gentle giants. Known for whiskery faces and large, seal-like bodies that taper down to powerful flat tails, Florida’s largest herd of endangered manatees makes their annual migration to the Crystal River in November. The good-natured mammals can survive comfortably during the winter months in the natural warm springs that originate here and flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

With 300 miles of navigable sparkling waterways that snake through the town, Fort Lauderdale is celebrated as the “Venice of America.” The stunning destination has more registered mega yachts (42,000) than any place on earth. It also boasts more than 100 marinas and boatyards as well as 165 miles of those scenic canals.

]]>http://www.seethesouth.com/marvelous-marco-island/feed/01198Stepping Back in Time at the Rod & Gun Club-Everglades City, FLhttp://www.seethesouth.com/stepping-back-time-rod-gun-club-everglades-city-fl/
http://www.seethesouth.com/stepping-back-time-rod-gun-club-everglades-city-fl/#respondWed, 23 Oct 2013 20:50:47 +0000http://www.seethesouth.com/?p=1188Stepping Back in Time at the Rod & Gun Club-Everglades City, FL

Royal palms and tin rooftops vie for the town’s tallest point. Fishing rods poke from open windows of cottages and [...]